Shows PM's frustration: Delhi CM on Sanjay Singh's arrest in liquor case

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP-led Centre over the arrest of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said it has brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "frustrations" to the fore.

He informed further that the ruling party in the national capital will mount a legal challenge against Singh's arrest.

The AAP national convenor, who visited Singh's family members at his Delhi residence on Wednesday, claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found nothing during a search of his address but still placed him under arrest.

"The ED officials searched his entire house but found nothing. However, they still put him under arrest in the evening. The arrest shows PM Modi's growing desperation and frustration as the elections are drawing near. The coming together of the Opposition forces under the INDIA bloc has got him rattled. Sanjay's arrest has only bared PM Modi's frustrations," Kejriwal told reporters after meeting the AAP leader's kin on Wednesday.

 

Alleging that PM Modi was steeped in corruption from head to toe, the Delhi CM said Sanjay Singh was among the most vocal of the Opposition leaders when it came to highlighting PM Modi's "corruption" and this was the reason why he was suspended from the Rajya Sabha and arrested.

"Ours is a party that doesn't compromise on honesty. However, the path of honesty, as we all know, could be difficult. If we were dishonest like them, all our problems would have gone away. More than 1,000 raids have been conducted in connection with the liquor policy case and several people have been arrested. But they have not been able to recover even a single penny (allegedly laundered). PM Modi is steeped in corruption from head to toe and I don't think there's been a PM more corrupt than him since independence," Kejriwal said.

"Sanjay Singh never shied away when it came to raising his voice against PM Modi's corruption and this is precisely why he was first suspended from the Rajya Sabha and now arrested. I fear that many more leaders could be arrested before the next Lok Sabha elections. However, Sanjay Singh is a fighter and he will soldier on undaunted. We move court against his arrest," the Delhi CM said.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal termed Singh's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate as "totally illegal".

"The arrest of Sanjay Singh is totally illegal. This shows Modiji's frustration. They will arrest many more opposition leaders till the elections," Kejriwal posted on X.

Sanjay Singh, MP, was taken into custody after a day-long interrogation by ED officials at his Delhi residence. He was later brought to the ED office.

Singh's party colleague and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested earlier in connection with the liquor policy case and is currently lodged behind bars.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam.

The case pertains to allegations that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

The ED has so far filed five chargesheets in the case, including against Sisodia.